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LUMAN I. NORTON, OF BENNINGTON, VERMONT.

.Letters Patent No. 73,921, dated January 28, 1863.-

APPARATUS I'OR CLEANING CLAY.

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TO WHOM IT MAY OONCERN:

Be it known that I, LUMAN NORTON, of the town of Bennington, in the county of Bennington, and State of Yarmout, have invented a new and improved Process for' Preparing Clay for the Manufacture of Pottery; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and t0 the letters marked thereon.

The natureof my ysaid invention consists in pressing the clay Adesigned to be used in the manufacture of pottery, through a strong wire sieve or strainer, the meshes of which sieve should be 'about one-eighth of an inch in diameter, or through any other substantial screen or strainer, the object being to free the clay from thepresence of small'stones or other foreign substances whichvwould injure the pottery by their presence; and it also consists in my improved means for accomplishing such purpose.

I will new proceed to describe my improvement and invention, that persons skilled in the art or trade to which this is most nearly allied may be able to understand and apply the same.

The first step in my improved process consists in grinding the clay in the manner well known to those engaged in the manufacture of pottery. After the clay is thus ground, and is of the consistence'fit to be used in the manufacture cfpott'ery, bymeans `of an apparatus prepared for that purpose, I force the'clay through a strainer or sieve, constructed of strong wires, with openings or meshes about one-eighth of an inch in diameter. By this means I am able to free the clay from all stone, pebbles, sticks, or other impurities hurtful to the pottery, and thus I am enabled toproduce a very superior article of manufacture. The instrument Insefor this purpose is constructed as follows:

Figure 1 is a front view of such machine.

Figure 2 is a side view of the same.

Figure 3 is a section of the shaft E, with its attached cam N, designed to act upon the lever L, for the purpose hereafter described.

Figure 4 represents the sieve or strainer through which the clay is to be pressed.v

In g. 1, A A A representthe Vframe in which the machine is placed for operation. F represents a cogwhecl, with a heavy hub or shaft, through the centre of which is cut a female screw, to receive the `shaft; E, upon the upper end of which a male screw is cut,'to fit the female screw above described. The cog-wheel F is revolvedby means of the pinion g, attached to the pulley-shaft J. The turningof the cog-wheel F in one direction raises the shaft E, and the plate attached to the end thereof, D. The turning of sa-id wheel in the opposite direction causes the shaft, with the said plate D, to descend and press upon the clay in the box B, and force it through the sie-ve or strainer, W. The clay is charged into the opening er press B, by opening the door C, as shown in-ig. 1. When the press B is fully charged, the 'door C is closed, and .held in its place-by a latch or spring. The wheel F is then revolved in the direction to force down'the shaft E, with the press- 4plate attached thereto/marked D, forcing the clay through the sieve W, at the bottom of the press, as seen in g. 1. i

To prevent the plate D descending too low upon the plate W, acam, N, is Aattached to the shaft E, which comes in contact with a pin on the lever M and L, and moves the lever so as'to throw the clutch, seen at J in fig. 2, into contact with the opposite pulley, thereby reversing the motion'of the cog-wheel F, and causing the shaft E and attached press-plate D to ascend. A similarand reverse cam is placed upon the shaft E, underneath the said lever M and L, to prevent the shaft and attachments from rising too high. The manner in which the clutch attached to the lever K, as seen at O in iig. 2, operates to reverse the motion of the shaft J,

is too well known to require further explanation than to say that the pulleys-II and I revolvevin opposite directions, and are attached to the shaft J by means of the vclutch O, and consequently carry the said shaft in the direction in which the pulleyturns, to which the clutch is attached.

The press into which the clay is placed for being pressed is'seeu in g. 1 at B, and the depth of the press is seen in fig. 2, lying between the letters C and B. Its mode of operation has already been described.

Having thus described my said invention and improvement, what I claim as my invention, 'and 'desire-to secure by Letters Patent, is` l i 1. The screw-shaft E, in combination with the stopping and reversing-'cams N,and the pins P, on the lever M L, substantially as and for the purpose set forth. i i

2. The sieve W, the pressing-plate D, in combination with the stopping and reversing-cams N, .and their adjuncts, arranged and operated substantially as and for the purpose set. forth.

i LUMAN I. NORTON.

Witnesses:

MARTIN A. Monsun,

I JOHN H. FLAee. 

